Feeding, sorting, and collecting mechanism



A. F. SWEEDEN.

FEEDING, SORTING, AND COLLECTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26, I92].

1 ,429,547, I Patented Sept. 19, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SH-EET l.

INVENTOR B /z New.

ATTORNEY A. F. SWEEDEN.

FEEDING, SORTING, AND COLLECTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR,26.1921.

1,429,547, Patented Sept. 19, 1,922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVENTOR fliexawdrwwm Patented Sept. 19, 1922.

UNITED ALEXANDER'F. swEEnEN, or LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK.

FEEDING, SORTING, AND COLLECTING MECHANISM.

Application filed April 26, '1921. Serial No. 464,756.

To all whom it may concern:

Beitknown-that' I, ALEXANDER F. Swan- DEN, citizen of the United States,and resident'of Long Island City, in the county of Queens-and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding,Sorting, and Collecting Mechanism,- of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates generally to article separating and feedingmechanism.

I do not-wish tolimit myself to the useto which my invention can be put,but for the purpose of a clear understanding, will specifically describeits adaptation to the haudling and translation of candy confections suchas lozenges, wafers, disks andlike or other articles and for separatingarticles of one size from those I of another size, or broken articlesfrom whole ones, so that should my mechanism-be used in connection withpackage filling machines, the work of dispatching-intact or wholecandies or articles, as the case may be, from a suitable hopper orcontainer to a point where theirdischarge is desired, labor will-befacilitated and considerable time saved in delivering articles which areuniformly of the same size and shape to the said point where their useis desired.

Candy confections of the kind above specified are usually vended inelongated ackages and use is generally made of a suitable fillingmachine for supplying the package with a predetermined number 0'candies. In order to facilitate the operation of filling, suchpa'okages,-thecandies are fed from a source of some description to thepoint where the filling operation is conducted. Frequently and due tothe fragile nature of the candies, the latter are broken by the timethey reach the packages, cartons or containers and it then becomesnecessary that the broken ones be manually assorted or separated fromthe whole ones with which the packages are to be supplied. Considerabletime and expense are incurred in properly separating the candies,incident to the reasons above advanced, and it is therefore anobject ofmy invention to entirely eliminate this waste and loss of money and.rovide a mechamsm which will be 'automatlo of operation; one which willallow for a maximum h andling of the candies" in'their progress from asupply source to an active delivery point or position one i which willbe simple of construction and positiveof action under many tryingcondltions, and one wherein means are employed for rendering theseparating or sortingoperation absolutely reliable.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a feeding andseparating or assorting mechanism which will operate upon candies whenplaced in bulk or large quantlties in a hopper or the like, without anyregard to likeness of the candies in shape or size to one another, andpositively segregate those of one kind or shape from those of another,meansbeing employed for checking the separating operation so that shouldsome broken or imperfect candies remain in the mechanism after apreliminary separation thereof, a final separation will be advanced toinsure the delivery of nothing but candies of the same uniform size andshape from the mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the classdescribed which will be characterized-by a collector which operates in ahopper to pick up quantities of candies and discharge the collectedcandies intermittently and in timed regularity. i

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism which isparticularly characterized by a revolving collector which is constructedso that it may be used in connection with a co-aoting hopper or recepftacle wherein the candies to be separated and distributed are carelesslyor indiscriminately placed, the collector operating to pick up thecandies and uniformly arrange the same and distribute them in rowformation from the mechanism. Otherimportant features will be referredto hereinafter and the invention defined'in the claims. I

Reference is now had to the accompany ing drawings which represent, asan eX- ample, the preferred embodiment of my1invention, in whichdrawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the mechanism. Figure 2 is a sectiontherethrough taken on the line 22 of Figure 1. 1 a Figure 3 is'a sectiontaken on the line 33 of'Figure 1. v t

Figure 4 is a front elevation of thecombined collecting and distributingdisk. Figure 5"is a section similar to Figure 3 'tents of saidaackap'es.

showing an unbroken confection in the slot.

Figure 6 is a cross section of the run-way. Tn carrying-the inventioninto practice, I use adisk 10, preferably mounting the same on a shaft11. within a hopper 12 and the base of the latter opens directly ontoone of the Hat faces of said disk. The disk is arranged at an obtuseangle to a line drawn horizontally through the hopper. Arranged in whatI will call he workin or active face 13 of the disk ar L N c) u straightrecesses or pockets 1 1. The men tioned recesses or pockets are arrangedat a tangent to the shaft 11 and their outer ends open onto theperiphery of the disk at equidistant points thereabout. The bottom wall15 of the hopper slants downward toward the active face of the disl andthe same is located immediately above the base of the disk so that theentire portion of each recess will be exposed to the full depth of thehopper as the disk is rotated. The general arrangement of the parts issuch that articles when placed in the hopper will gravitate to saidworking face oi the disk, and as the latter revolves in the direction ofthe arrow in Figure 1, said articles are picked up by said recesses orpockets 1 1.

I The walls 16 of the recesses or pockets are provided with slots 17,the same extending for the full length of sald recesses and opening ontothe inactive face 15% of the disk. As stated, the mechanism is designedfor use in connection with package filling machines wherein disk likecandies constitute the con- Such candy disks are dumped into the hopper12 and incident to the inclination of the disk 10 and the rotary actionof said disk, the candies are agitated and collected by the disk andreceived flat wise in the recesses or pockets 14. iis the disk revolves,the recesses or pockets are successively presented to the hopper, theslots 17 lying uppermost. Upon turther rotation of the disk, theposition of the slots 17 change and successively the recesses arepresented at downward angles toward the lett wall 19 of the hopper. Inpartial rota tion of the disk'betweenthe baseof the hopper and the leftwall 19 of the hopper, the slots gradually become inverse to thementioned uppermost positions which the slots occupy when the recessesfirst enter the base of the hopper. This change in the positions of theslots causes any broken candy to fall through said slots and pass. intoa receiving" chute 20. From, the chute 20 the. broken particles may beconducted off to a waste receptacle, (not shown)- This operation of themechanism is made positive through the fact that the disk 10 extendsupward and rearward from the; bottom of the hopper, and the said, brokencandy is permitted to drop by gravity into said chute 20.: The

The said diskis disposed.

slots 1? are relatively narrow as compared with the transversedimensions of the recesses or pockets so that the whole candies will besupported by the walls 16 and held against passing through said slots.

The left half or" the working face of the disk 10 is covered by a fixedguard plate 21 which serves to prevent the collected candies fromfalling back into the hopper as the disk revolves. The right half of theinactive or rear face of the disk is covered by a. similar fixed plate22 which operates toprevent the candies from falling throughthe slots 17until the recesses-progressively pass to the left side of the mechanismabove the supporting shaft 11. p

Arranged in line with the periphery of the disk 10 and locatedat a pointbelow the plane of the shaft 11 is a run-way 23,; the same consisting oftwo spaced substantially U-shaped members 2e'24. The grooves 25 of themembers are very shallowso that only slight hold of its walls is hadagainst the edges of the candies as the same roller gravitate in saidrun-way. From this arrangement, it results-that should any brokencandies pass into the run way, they will-tall through the space betweensaid members 24e-2 l, the whole candies proceeding downward the run-wayto the point where "their delivery is desired. The run-way is disposedparallel to the plane of the disk 10 so that the candies are maintainedin tilted positions during their'movements down the mentioned run-way.

The shaft ll'is provided with a'gear wheel which co-acts with anintermittent gear This gives the. disk 10 a step by step motion and byproperly spacing therecesses or pockets 14 with resoect to one another,the latter are madeto singly register with said run-away .43; Thisintermittent motion otthe disk 10 is so regulated that the entirecontentsof each recess or pocket is delivered to the run-way lyregistered therewith.

As previously stated, the mechanism is particularly adapted for thesorting or separating of candies of, the kind stated, but it will beunderstood that various changes may be made within the scope ofthehereto annexe-d claims without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I want it to beun} derstood that the mechanism is broadlyuseful as aseparating or sortingand feeding means and thatli havespecifically stated one of its uses so that the operation of inventionis. clear and concise so far as the con struction andv 'functioning of,the invention are concerned. I r i 1 7 @VVhat is claimed as new is: p I

A. hopper, an inclined disk, co-acting with said hopper and providedwith means for effecting a collection of articles from v as said pocketsare successivethe hopper, and a peripheral-discharge of 2." A hopper, arotary disk co-acting there.

with and provided wit-h collection means for the successive collectionin row formation of articles from the hopper; said disk also co actingwith the hopper to cause the articles collected by said disk to bedischarged from periphery thereof and through one side of the hopper,and means for revolving said disk.

3. A hopper, a rotary disk co-acting therewith and provided withcollection means presentable to the hopper as the disk revolves, andserving when the disk is in one position to effect a peripheraldischarge of the collected articles therefrom and means for revolvingsaid disk intermittently.

4. A hopper, a rotary disk co-acting therewith and provided withcollection means including separated portions for successive collectionin row formation of articles from the hopper and actively presentable tothe hopper as the disk revolves, and serving to cause the articlescollected by the disk to be discharged from the periphery thereof, meansfor revolving said disk intermittently and a run way registering withthe collection means through intermittent rotation of said disk wherebyto receive the peripherally discharged articles from the disk.

5. A hopper, a rotary disk co-acting with the hopper and provided withmeans for translating articles from the hopper to a receiving means, thetranslating means having portions each respectively acting to collectthe articles from the hopper and temporarily retain same in rowformation on the disk and finally discharge same from the disk, andmeans for revolving the disk intermittently.

6. A mechanism of the class described, comprising a hopper, a revolvingcollection and distributing disk co-acting with the hopper, and means onthe disk for collecting articles from the hopper and for arranging thecollected articles in separated grouped formation upon the disk and foreffecting a peripheral discharge of the collected articles from saiddisk as the latter is revolved.

7. A mechanism of the class described, comprising a hopper, a revolvingcollecting and distributing disk co-acting with the hopper, means on thedisk for collecting articles from the hopper and for arranging thecollected articles in separated grouped formation upon the disk and'foreffecting a peripheral discharge of the collected articles from saiddisk and means for revolving the disk intermittently.

8. A candy, collecting, separating and distributing mechanism comprisinga hopper, a revolving collecting disk co-acting with said hopper, toreceive candies therefrom as lected' articles in row disk.

the disk revolves, and subsequently discharge the collected candies fromthe periphery of'the disk, a chute co-acting with the disk for thetransfer of the discharged candies from the latter, and a sorting meansbetween the hopper and the chute, the disk having separated articlecollecting recesses to effect said receiving and transferring operationsand for arranging the colformation upon said 9. A hopper, a rotary diskco-acting with the hopper and provided with a pocket serving to pick uparticles from the hopper and arrange the articles in row formation uponthe disk; and then discharge same therefrom, means on the disk forrelieving the same of articles of sizes less than the approximate widthof said pocket, and means for revolving the disk intermittently, so asto place the disk at rest and permit all of the collected articlescontained in the pocket to be automatically discharged therefrom.

10. A hopper, a disk co-acting with the hopper, said disk having aplurality of pock ets therein arranged substantially at a tangent to thecenter of the disk, the disk having slots in communication with saidpockets, means for partly closing one side of the disk, means for partlyclosing the opposite side of the disk at a point laterally to one sideof the first said closing means, means for intermittently revolving thedisk, means adapted to register with the pockets successively and actingas a receiver for articles discharged from the disk, and a chute adaptedto communicate with said slots, all as and for the purpose set forth.

11. A hopper, a rotary disk co-acting with the hopper and provided witha pocket respectively serving to pick up articles from the hopper anddischarge same therefrom, means on the disk for relieving the same ofcollected articles of sizes less than the approximate width of saidpocket, means for intermittently revolving the disk, and an articlereceiving means registering with the pocket in one position of rest ofthe disk,

12. A hopper, a revolving disk mounted in the hopper at an angle otherthan a right angle to the vertical axis thereof and provided withrecesses opening at their outer ends onto the periphery of the disk andserving while the disk is in rotation to pick up articles from thehopper, and meansfor revolving the disk intermittently to successivelypresent said recesses to a receiving means at one side of said hopper.

13. A hopper, a revolving disk mounted in the hopper at an angle otherthan a right angle to the vertical axis thereof and provided withrecesses opening at their outer ends onto theperiphery of the disk andserving while the disk is in rotation to pick up articles from thehopper, means for revolving the disk intermittently to successivelypresent said recesses to a receiving means at one side of said hopper,the recesses communicating with restricted slots formed in the disk andextending onto the rear side thereof. 7

1 A hopper, a revolving disk mounted in the hopper at an angle otherthan a right angle to the vertical axis thereof and provided withrecesses opening at their outer ends onto the periphery of the disk andserving While the disk is in rotation to pick up articles from thehopper, means of revolving the disk intermittently to successivelypresent said recesses to a receiving means at one side of said hopper,the recesses oommunicating with restricted slots formed in the disk andextending onto the rear side thereof, and plates fixed Within the hopperand between which the disk is interposed and respectively arranged atoppositesides of the center of said disk.

ALEXANDER F. SWEEDEN.

